Penn State woman’s basketball (10-11, 3-7 Big Ten) were pummeled against No. 13 Iowa, 81-61, Sunday afternoon in the Bryce Jordan Center.

The Hawkeyes (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten) shot 53 percent from the field and we’re led by Naismith Award candidate Megan Gustafson — the top scorer in Division I — who finished with 30 points.

How It Happened

The two teams were neck and neck for most of the quarter, trading buckets left and right as both were shooting better than 50 percent. Good use of the full court press and transition game helped keep Penn State within striking distance — down 24-22 heading into the second quarter.

The Hawkeyes finally started to take over before the break. A four-minute scoring drought to start the quarter from Penn State gave Iowa room to extend its lead to 15 by the end of the half. Poor shooting and turnover issues plagued the Lady Lions as they limped to a 48-33 deficit.

Penn State improved a bit during the third, cutting down the lead to just eight. But Iowa star Megan Gustafson wasn’t having it, dominating in the post as her Hawkeyes got their lead back to double digits — leading 70-55 heading into the fourth.

A frustrating final quarter for Penn State saw it unable to capitalize on a tired Hawkeye defense. The Lady Lions had plenty of chances to cut the deficit but couldn’t make anything of it. Penn State put up just six points off 2-18 shooting in the final period of play as it fell 81-61.

Takeaways

• Megan Gustafson showed why she’s primed for All-American status, making mincemeat of the Penn State defense with 30 points and 11 rebounds — her 20th double-double of the season.
• It was Teniya Page’s senior day and she got her 2,000th career point off a putback during the third quarter. She’s the sixth Lady Lion in history to hit the milestone. Despite missing a portion of the non-conference stretch last season with injury, she managed to complete the feat.
• Penn State was buried in the rebounding battle. Its lack of size helped the Hawkeyes get a crushing 49-33 lead in the stat.

What’s Next

Penn State will make a quick pop to Columbus for a Wednesday night matchup against Ohio State. The game will be on February 6 at 7 p.m.